Barack Obama: Campaign Issues

Where he
stands

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Budget/Deficit/Taxes

Will focus on continuing to stimulate the economy by creating new jobs and investing in health care, education, energy, and infrastructure

Increase alternative energy production, modernize and weatherize buildings and homes, expand broadband technology, and computerize the health care system. Obama has said these measures will create some 3.5 million jobs

Supports the Making Home Affordable Modification program to prevent foreclosures and the Making Home Affordable Refinancing program to restructure loans to keep people in their homes

Has demanded accountability and transparency from banks and other financial institutions

Plans to create a financial regulatory system that makes executives in the financial market accountable for their actions and prevents fraud

Will work to make the tax system more fair to working families and the middle class and eliminate loopholes that benefit the wealthy

Has promised to simplify the tax code

Immigration

Supports additional personnel, infrastructure, and technology on the
border and at our ports of entry

Believes it is impractical to deport the 12 million immigrants living in the U.S. and supports the Dream Act, which would allow children of immigrants who are in good standing with the law access to higher education

Create a legal immigration system

Increase the number of legal immigrants to keep families together
and meet the demand for jobs that employers cannot fill

Crack down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants

Supports a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in
good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the
line for the opportunity to become citizens

Energy/Environment

Decrease the country's reliance on fossil fuels and increase use of renewable sources of energy. Obama says he will invest $150 billion over the next 10 years to develop new technology for the production of biofuels and renewable energy

Would like to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050

Says he would pursue clean coal technology to reduce the reliance on imported oil